Williah de courci prideaux



W. DE C. PRIDEAUX.

. AMMUNITION BELT FOR MACHINE GUNS.

A P P L l C A T l 0 N F I L E D A U G 2 7 I I 9 1 7.

1 ,3 1 5,742 Patented Sept. 9, 1919.

' 2 FIG 4.

WILLIAM m: COUBOY PRIDEAUX, OF WEYMO'UTH, ENGLAND.

AMMUNITION-BELT F 0R MACHINE-GUNS.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 9, 1919.

Application filed August 27, 1917. Serial No. 188,472.

'0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM on COURCY Pnnnaaux. a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Weymouth, Dorset, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements Connected with Ammunition-Belts for Machine-Guns, of which the following is a specification.

In ammunition belts for machine guns and the like as generally now constructed and in order to insure that the cartridges pass through the feed block in a perfectly parallel manner such belts have been constructed from two pieces of webbing connected together by eyelets and brass strips of two,lengths the projecting strips showing how far the cartridges should be inserted and such belt is made thick at the edge next the bullets by being folded over a piece of cord so that the cartridges may be kept parallel with the feed block while being passed through and lie evenly in the ammunition boxes. In belts made wholly of metal no means have been adopted to insure this parallel movement of the cartridges, and the consequence is the two paWls which engage the cartridges or the band do not act evenly. In fact only one pawl acts upon each cartridge or the belt, the pawls only being made to work a fabric belt, and consequently the cartridges are .moved unevenly and the strain exerted during the working sometimes breaks the metallic belt.

Now the object of my invention is to construct a wholly metallic belt having clips embracing the two unequal diameters of the cartridge case in such a manner that both pawls in pushing the cartridges and belt through the feed block shall act equally and thus insure the cartridges passing in a parallel manner through the feed block.

The belt is of the construction, set forth in my application for British Patent No. 15828/1915 or similar thereto and in which clips embrace the cartridges at their two unequal diameters and for the purpose of this invention I either thicken one of the clips or enlarge in any way the outer radius or part thereof of one of the clips next to and embracing the cartridge near the bullet end so that the radius at the part of the clips where the pawls act shall be the same or approximately the same, whereby both pawls may act evenly on the clips.

By this invention the same gun can be used for work with fabric or wholly metal belts without in any way altering the construction of the gun or its parts.

The annexed drawings (on an enlarged scale) show three examples of means for carrying my invention into effect.

Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a plan and end elevation of a link'embodying the features of the invention.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of a modified form of link,

Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively a plan and elevation of a further modified form of the improved device.

Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate a link constructed in accordance with the link shown and described in my Patent No. 15828 of 1915, in which the clip 2 is formed with corrugation A on one of its portions, 2'. 6., the portion on which the pawl acts so that the outer radius of that portion of the clip may be the same as the corresponding portion of' the other clip 3 in which case the two pawls which reciprocate in the feed block of the nliachine gun will act equally on both of the c lps.

In the form of link illustrated by Figs. 4 and 5, the cartridge itself acts as the pintle, as is well known. In this case the clip 2 is formed of one piece of metal and projects from the base 1, the corrugation ii being formed in the smaller clip 2 as in Although I have only shown the invention applied to two constructions of metallic links my invention isequally applicable to other constructions of metallic links and the increasing of the radius of the clip engaging .the smaller end of the cartridge at about the part where one of the pawls act may be effected in any manner other than by corrugating, e. 9., such as by doubling back the metal as shown in Fig. 3.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A' link of the class specified for ammunition belts for machine guns consisting of a fiat base having clips of diflerent dimensions in alinement with each other to embrace the smaller'and larger diameters of cartridges, the smaller clip being provided with a thickened portion.

2. A link of the class specified for ammu-. nition belts for machine guns consisting of a flat base with clips standing outwardly from In testimony whereof I have hereunto set .opposite ends thereof, the one clip being my hand in presence of two subscribing smaller than the other and whereby the Witnesses. smaller and larger diametric portions of WILLIAM ma OOUROY PRIDEAUX. cartridges may be embraced thereby, the Witnesses:

smaller clip having a thickening device pro- RICHARD CORE GARDNER,

j eating exteriorly therefrom. Jnssm MORGAN. 

